UFC on FX 7 fighter Wagner Prado considers himself a UFC 'intern'

Wagner Prado doesn’t know exactly why the UFC matched him up with one of the light-heavyweight division’s best fighters for his promotional debut, but he has no regrets.

Prado, who suffered a submission loss to fast-rising contender Phil Davis at UFC 153 after their first bout ended in a no-contest (accidental eyepoke), admits he wasn’t ready for such a decorated wrestler, even though he initially thought he was.

“I’m not sure why (they matched me up with Davis),” he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “Prior to entering the UFC, my record was 8-0 with seven knockouts. Maybe that raised the UFC’s attention. Even though my previous opponents were not strong wrestlers, nor UFC-caliber fighters, I nonetheless had a string of knockouts.

“At light heavyweight, anyone can knock out anyone else. So I’m guessing they brought me in against such a high-ranking opponent because of my knockout power. But, truth be told, I wasn’t very ready for a strong wrestler. I thought I was. I learned and grew a lot from it, but the truth is I still lost.”

Prado, a former muay Thai fighter, used the experience as a learning opportunity ahead of Saturday’s UFC on FX 7 event. Prado (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) meets Ildemar Alcantara (17-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, and he fights in his home country on the FUEL TV-televised preliminary card.

As it stands, Prado knows he’s a UFC fighter. He just doesn’t feel like one. Possibly in a must-win situation against Alcantara, the 26-year-old knows he needs to prove he belongs on MMA’s biggest stage.

“I like to say that I’m an intern in the UFC,” he said. “I am not ‘in’ quite yet. How I present myself – that’s going to define whether I get to stay.”

Knowing he needs to round out his game, the hard-hitting Prado has been working intensely with Team Nogueira wrestling coach Eric Albarracin, and he’s even planning a trip to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado for more training. And like top contender Alexander Gustafsson, who also experienced a lost to Davis early in his UFC career, Prado is thinking about hooking up with his former foe for some additional work.

“I even played around with my friends at Team Nogueira about that,” he said. “Since both Gustafsson and I lost to anaconda chokes, and he went to train with Phil, maybe I should do that too. I’d have no problem doing a training camp with him. I hold no grudges. It’s like what you see at the weigh-ins. I come in relaxed, having fun. That’s how I am. I have no bad blood with anyone.”

That carefree attitude makes Prado a very likable fighter. With a win over Alcantara, who stepped in as a replacement for injured Roger Hollett, Prado could earn some job security. And, he said, if he’s going to be a fixture in the UFC, he wants to connect with as many fans as possible. That’s why the Portuguese-speaking fighter is planning to enroll in some English classes.

“I started this fight camp right after my last fight, so I haven’t been able to schedule classes, [but] I plan to join an English-language course after my next fight,” he said. “I want to be able to interact better with the UFC and with the American public. I’d like to win them over.”

Prado sees the type of fighter, and man, he wants to be when he looks to team head coach Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The fan friendly fighter also is one of the most decorated heavyweights in MMA history. Prado wants to follow his path in the 205-pound dvision, but the journey takes an important step on Saturday.

“I’d like to remain in the UFC for a long time,” he said. “My other dream for a while now is to be looked up to and respected in the MMA world in the same way as ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira is. It’s not a small dream. It’s big. It’s very big. He’s the boss of our team, but he still fights. I wish to eventually handle the same types of responsibilities as he does.

“But I also dream to have the same achievements in the sport. When people talk about ‘Minotauro,’ there’s a glimmer in their eyes. He is synonymous with ‘warrior.’ That’s what I want for myself. Win or lose, the fans still admire him. I’d like that for myself. There’s nothing bad that can be said about that man. It’s my goal to get there someday too.”

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